Identification band



Aug. 12, 1958 w. J. PoLzlN IDENTIFICATION BAND Filed May 16, 1957 nited States Patent ffice libhb Patented Aug. i2, 1958 2,846,796 IDENTIFICATION BAND Winfred J. Polzin, Thiensviiie, Wis., assigner to Will Ross,

Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application May 16, 1957, Serial No. 659,665 3 Claims. (Cl. 40-19) This invention relates to identification devices useful for civilian defense purposes, in girls and boys camps, jails and other institutions, but especially. in hospitals, and has more particular reference t0 an identification device in the form of a band which may have its opposite ends connected to form a bracelet encircling a limb of a hospitalized person, the band having provision to receive and hold a card with information and/or indicia thereon to identify the hospitalized person- Despite tite fact that identification bands or brace lets of several types are presently in use or available, no one heretofore has succeeded in providing a completely satisfactory identification bracelet.

' Some are objectionable because their attachment to the limb of a person involves several tedious and time consuming steps during which special tools are usually required to effect clinching or riveting of the ends of the band together in a more or less permanent fashion, Other identification bands are objectionable by reason of insufficiently secure fastening means and inadequate strength in the band itself to assure against conscious or unconscious removal of the bracelet by the person wearing the same.

lt is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an identification band which has none of the objections outlined above, and which features easy to close and exceptionally secure fastening means by which its ends may be joined together entirely without the use of tools to form a bracelet encircling the limb of a hospitalized person, ease of adjustability for size so that it does not need to be measured and cut to t, suficient strength in the band itself to assure against either accidental of intentional tearing of the band, and finally, assurance against displacement of the card or other identifying marker ,accommodated by the band.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrange- Lift ment of parts substantially as hereinafter described and l more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof,

f and in which:

Figure 1 is a group perspective view `of the identification band of this invention, showing an identification marker or card about to be inserted into a pocket with which the band is provided;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the band showing the same with its ends secured together to form a bracelet, and with an identification card `or marker in place in the pocket on the band;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken through Figure 1 along the plane of the line 3 3, illustrating the fastening means for securing the ends of the band together; and

Figure 4 is a similar cross sectional view, taken through Figure 2 along the'plane of the line 4-4, showing the fastening means closed,

titl

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawing, in which like reference characters have been applied to like parts throughout the several views, it will be seen that the identification band of this invention generally comprises an elongated strip 5 of flexible material, preferably a plastic, of a type which has exceptionally good resistance to tearing when subjected to tension stresses. A substantial length of the band at one end portion thereof is widened to form one side wall 6 of an elongated pocket generally designated 7. The other side wall of the pocket is provi-ded by a strip of transparent plastic material 8. The strip S serves as the top wall of the pocket when the band is in use, and it has slightly less width than the bottom wall 6 of the pocket. The transparent strip is secured to the wider wall 6 of the pocket along both longitudinal margins thereof by bonded joints 11B which are formed by subjecting the overlapping marginal edge portions of the two pocket forming walls to heat and pressure in a well'known manner. The wall S of the pocket is also bonded to the band along a transverse line 11 at the junction of the band with the pocket, by the same means as effects the joints 10, all of these joints being made at the same time in a press heated to a suitably high temperature.

It is important to note that since the transparent top l wall 8 of the pocket is slightly narrower in its transverse dimension than the bottom wall 6 of the pocket, it will hold the wider bottom wall of the pocket in a bowed condition of outward transverse convexity as seen best in Figures 3 and 4. This is desirable not only from the standpoint of comfort to the wearer, but also by reason of the fact that the mouth 12 of the pocket is held agape to facilitate insertion of an identication card 13 into the pocket.

The pocket 7 is wide enough to not only receive a length of the opposite end portion of the band but to also receive an identification card 13 of a size large enough to contain all of the information or other indicia needed for proper identification of a hospitalized person.

it is one of the features of this invention that the opposite end portions of the band may be securely fastened together entirely without the use of tools without preliminarily measuring and cutting the band to the size of the limb to be encircled thereby. For this purpose the narrow end portion of the band is provided with a series of longitudinally spaced vholes 14, any one of which is cooperable with a fastening device 15 on the pocket 7 to join the ends of the band.

The fastening device 15 comprises cooperating male and female snap fasteners 16 and 17, respectively secured to the bottom and top walls 6 and 8 of the pocket near its mouth 12. The female fastener 17, which is permanently secured to the transparent wall 8 of the pocket has a hole 18 therethrough of a size to tightly receive the button 19 on the male element 16, it being under stood that the male element is permanently secured to the Wall 6 on the underside of the pocket. The holes 14 in the narrow end portion of the band are of a size to freely accommodate the button 19 on the male fastening element, and the latter is adapted to be projected through one of these holes when the band is formed into a bracelet.

The best assurance against either conscious or unconscious opening of the snap fastener is had when the button 19 on the male element fits quite tightly in the aperture 18 in the female element, and while it preferably requires the application of considerable pressure thereto, itv should be capable of manual closure, by finger pressure, so as to obviate the use of tools.

Closure of the fastener 15 not only guards against displacement of the identification card 13 from the tu pocket but, as stated previously, also enables the opposite ends of the band to be joined in a manner providing maximum assurance against opening of the bracelet formed thereby once it has been secured to the limb of a hospitalized person. ln fact, it is recommended that the band be cut with a scissors when the bracelet is to be removed from the limb of the patient.

When it is desired tcsecure the band about the Wrist or ankle of a hospitalized person, the band is wrapped around the desired limb with the transparent wall 8 of the pocket outermost and the conveXly curved bottom Wall of the pocket against the limb. A length of the apertured end portion of the band is then inserted into the pocket through the mouth l2 thereof to a distance such as to bring the band into more or less snug encircling relationship with the limb and to align one of the holes le in the band with the button 19 on the male element of the fastener. Such alignment of the proper hole 14 with the button is facilitated by reason of the fact that the apertured end of the band can be observed through the hole 1S in the female element i7 of the snap fastener. When the desired hole f4 is properly aligned with the button 19, the person applying the band merely exerts linger pressure on the cooperating elements of the fastener to project the button i9 through the selected aperture in the band and into the hole ll in the female element of the fastener, .as seen in Figure 4.

It will be appreciated that once the ends of the band have been secured in place forming a braclet encircling the limb of a hospitalized person, those portions of the snap fastener which are exposed on the outside of the pocket are nearly flush with the pocket walls and provide little or no surface which can be grasped by the person wearing the bracelet in a conscious or unconscious attempt to open the fastener.

It will also be seen that the pocket 7 has sufficient length so as to not only accommodate a suitable identification card 13 containing all of the necessary information pertaining to the hospitalized person, but to also accommodate a substantial length of the apertured end portion of the band, if necessary, thus enabling the band to be adjusted to form a bracelet of any of a wide variety `of sizes. inasmuch as the apertured end portion of the band is inserted under the identification card, it not only leaves the entire card readily visible through the transparent wall 8 of the pocket, but the card itself serves to hide that end portion of the band which is disposed in the pocket inwardly of the snap fastener.

From the foregoing description taken together with the accompanying drawing, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention provides an identification band which can be formed into a bracelet to encircle the limb of a hospitalized person or the like, and which band features a pocket to accommodate an identification card, and fastening means for joining the opposite ends of the band together in a simple but most secure manner, entirely without the aid of tools, and by which fastening means the identification card is held in its pocket without danger of displacement.

What l claim as my invention is:

1. An identification device comprising: a band of ilexible material; means on one end portion of the band defining an elongated pocket having its mouth at the adjacent extremity of the band and having opposing walls, one of which is formed integrally with the band, the other wall of the pocket being permanently bonded to said lirst designated wall along both longitudinal margins of the latter, and along a transverse line which is adjacent to the junction between the band and the pocket, and said other wall being transparent so as to enable indicia on a card or the like inserted into the pocket to be readily viewed, and said pocket being adapted to receive a sul stantial length of the opposite end portion of the band; and means for closing the mouth of the pocket so as to preclude displacement of a card from the pocket, and

for securing the opposite end portion of the band to both of said walls of the pocket with a length of said opposite end portion of band in the pocket, comprising a snap fastener having cooperating male and female elements secured to said walls of the pocket adjacent to the mouth thereof, and longitudinally spaced apertures in said opposite end portion of the band, each of a size to receive the male member of the snap fastener, and through any one of which the male member may be projected when the fastener is closed to form the band into a bracelet.

2. An identification 4device comprising: a band of ilexible material; means on one end portion of the band derlning an elongated pocket having its mouth at the adjacent extremity of the band and having opposing walls one of which is formed integrally with the band, the other Wall of the pocket being permanently bonded to said first designated wall along both longitudinal margins of the latter and along a transverse line which is adjacent to the junction between the band and the pocket, and said other wall being transparent so as to enable indicia on a card or the like inserted into the pocket to be readily viewed, and said pocket being adapted to receive a substantial length of the opposite end portion of the band, said wall of the pocket which is integral with the band having a width greater than said transparent wall and being held by its bonded joint therewith in an outward transversely bowed condition providing ready access to the mouth of the pocket; and means for closing the mouth of the pocket so as to preclude displacement of a card from the pocket, and for securing the opposite end portion of the band to both of said Walls of the pocket with a length of said opposite end portion of band in the pocket, comprising a snap fastener having cooperating male and female elements secured to said walls of the pocket adjacent to the mouth thereof, and longitudinally spaced apertures in said opposite end portion of the band, each of a size to receive the male member of the snap fastener, and through any one of which the male member may be projected when the fastener is closed to form the band into a bracelet.

3. An identification device comprising: a band of lierrible material; means on the end portion of the band defining an elongated pocket having its mouth at the adjacent extremity of the band and having opposing walls, one of which is transparent so as to enable indicia on a card or the like inserted into the pocket to be readily viewed, and said pocket being adapted to receive a substantial length of the opposite end portion of the band; and means for closing the mouth of the pocket so as to preclude displacement of a card from the pocket, and for securing the opposite end portion of the band to both of said walls of the pocket with a length of said opposite end portion of band in the pocket, comprising a snap fastener having cooperating male and female elements secured to said walls of the pocket adjacent to the mouth thereof, and longitudinally spaced apertures in said opposite end portion of the band, each of a size to receive the male member of the snap fastener, and through any one of which the male member may he projected when` the fastener is closed to form the band into a bracelet, the female element being secured to said transparent wall of the pocket and having a hole therethrough to receive the male member of the fastener, and through which hole said opposite end portion of the band may be viewed when inserted into the pocket to facilitate alignment of a proper aperture inthe band with the male member of the fastener.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,203,155 .lullien et al. .lune 4, 1940 2,449,181 Smiley Sept. `lll, 1948 2,641,074 Richmond June 9, 1953 2,655,747 Duskin Oct. 20, 1954 

